Gopher-gun.



Patented Dec. l0, 190|.

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0. L. MAXFIELD.

G 0 P H E R G U N (Application led Aug'. 19, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES GOPHER-GUN.

PCFCATION forming part of Letters latent No. 688,660, dated December 10, 1901. Application tiled August 19, 1901. Serial No. 72,516. (N0 mOClGlJ T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ORvIL L. MAXFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hollister, county of San Benito, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Gopher-Guns; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in guns intended for the destruction'of gophersf and like pests.

The object of my invention is lto provide a breech-loading path of fand be Iof the animal.

gun which can be set in the.y discharged by the movements -It consists in the combination of the breech mechanism mounted upon a base, of novel;

and

discharging the gun, a

safety device whereby premature explosion may be obviated, and of details more fully to be hereinafter set forth, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gun parts Fig. 2 is a top View of the trigger and connections.

A represents a base or carriage, of convenupon which the parts of the gun are mounted.

y -2 is the barrel, of suitable length and caliber, having its breech threaded to lit the cylinder 3, which carries the firing-pin 4. This firing-pin is actuated by a helical spring 5 within the cylinder. One end of this spring bears against a guide-flange 6 on the pin and the other against the rear end of the cylinder. The pin 4 extends through the rear of the cylinder and is connected by a bar or arm 7 with the rod 8. This rod 8 extends parallel with fand beneath the cylinder and barrel and is slidable in the guides 9 on the frame. It has a trip or latch 10 pivoted at its forward end and adapted to engage thetrigger 11. The trigger is hung under the muzzle of the barrel on pivots, as 12, and is counterbalanced, as at 13, so as always to come into position when the gun is cocked. The latch 10 consists of a plate having a fiat horizontal edge 14 and its opposite edge of segmental form. The straight edge of the latch ordinarily rests upon a spring-plate 15, rigidly secured at one end to the cross-bar 16 of the base. The rear end of this spring is slotted, as at 17. As the firing-pin and sliding rod 8 are drawn back- Ward by means of the handle 18 one end of the latch drops into the slot 17. A continued 55 pull on the rod causes the latch to assume a vertical position, and the upper end of the latch is engaged in a notch 19 of the trigger.

. The lower end of the latch is supported in the slot 17. The gun, properly loaded, is thus 6o set and ready for use. When the trigger is pressed down, the latch is released and immediat'ely assumes a horizontal position, which allows the rod and firing-pin to spring forward and cause the discharge. o

The oscillation of the trigger is-limited at its forward end in one direction by means of the stop 20. A set-screw 21 is adapted to bear upon the cross-bar 16, whereby the oscillation of the trigger and the ease of discharge 7o of the gun can be regulated.

That the gun may not be prematurely dis? charged, as when handling it, I have provided a safety mechanism, as follows: vThis consists of a hook or bar 22, pivoted at 23 to the base 75 A and having a notch 24, adapted to engage the firing-pin in such manner as to limit its stroke, so that when the pin is released it will fail to contact with and so discharge the cartridge in the gun.

The outer end of the barrel is made with notches 25,which serve, first, to take a wrench, if necessary, to remove the barrel; second, to scatter the charge more eectually,and, third, to prevent injury to thetrigger by the discharge.

In operation the barrel is detached from t-he cylinder, a cartridge inserted in the breech of the barrel, and the latter replaced. The firing-pin is then drawn back as far as it will 9o go and then allowed to go forward gently until the latch engages the trigger. The gun is then placed in the pathway of the gopher and the safety-hook thrown off. As the animal pushes the dirt before him the weight of the dirt upon the trigger causes the discharge of the gun, as before described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gun the combination of a barrel adapt-ed to contain a cartridge; a supportingzle adapted to scatter thecharge; a firing-pin operating within the cylinder; a trigger pivoted upon the base and beneath the muzzle of the barrel; and means for operating the trigger.

3. In a gopher-gun, the combination of ar supporting-base; a barrel mounted thereon and having a notched muzzle end adapted `'0 scatter the charge; a iring mechanism; and a trigger mechanism said trigger mechanism being located below the muzzleof the barrel.

4. vIn a gopher-gun, .the combination :of .a base, a cylinder thereon, a barrel adapted to receive a cartridge attached to saidcylinder, said barrelhaving notches at its outer end whereby the charge -is scattered, va liring-pin operating in said cylinder, a trigger pivoted upon the base andbeneath the muzzleof said barrel, and means whereby said trigger may be set to cause the discharge of the gun.

5. -In agopheifgun, the combination of a base, a breech-loading mechanism mounted thereon, a firing-pin, a rod extendinglengthwise of saidbase and moving in .unison with said iringpin, a trigger pivoted upon said base, and a latchA upon said rod adapted to l engage said .trigger whereby the latter may beset 'to-discharge the gun.

'6. In agopher-gun, thecombination with a base or support, of a cylinder in which a firing-pin is movable, "a barrel detachably secured to `,said cylinder, a'triggerpivoted upon said base, na rod slidable lengthwise of said base and secured to and movable in lunison 4o with said ring-pin, a latch pivoted upon the end of said rod and a slotted plate acting upon said latch whereby the latter is caused to engage and set t-he trigger.

7. In a gopher-gun, the combination of a base, a cylinder thereon, a barrel detachably secured to said cylinder, a spring-actuated. firing-pin operating in said cylinder, a rod parallel with and beneath said cylinder and slidable in unison with said firing-pin, a trig- 5o ger pivoted upon the base, a counter-weight thereon, and'means for 'regulating the oscillation thereof, a latch pivoted on the end of said sliding rod, and a slotted spring-plate adapted to bear against said latch whereby the latter is `caused to assume a vertical-position and engage the trigger when thevii-rin gpin and rod -are .drawn backward.

8. The combination in a gopheregun of a base, a cylinder Lthereon, a'barrel adaptedto 6o receive a cartridge in its breech-end and secured thereon, a tiring-pin movable in said cylinder, an extension of saidipin through-fthe rear end .of said cylinder, a rod slidable lengthwise of the base, connections between said rod and pin whereby the itwo partsmove in unison, a trigger mechanism, and means upon .the rod vfor engaging saidttriggenand a safety device consisting of a hookadapted to engage the exterior rear portion of '-saidr- 7o ing-pin whereby the stroke of the latter is arrested.

In witness whereof I have hereunto setm-y hand.

OBV-IL lL. MAXFIPELD.

Vitnesses:

H. W. SooT'r, J. R. Fox. 

